INB4 Meeting resources page

INB-4 ends without final agreement

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on a Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products’ fourth session (INB-4) ended without final agreement, but Parties did make some significant progress.

Parties agreed important provisions to control the supply chain for tobacco products, including a tracking and tracing system for cigarettes and other products as well as a licensing system for manufacturers and others involved in the tobacco trade.

The talks’ outcomes will be reported to the next Conference of Parties to the parent treaty for the protocol, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, in Montevideo, Uruguay in November 2010.

Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) director Laurent Huber said the negotiations had not yet achieved an effective and workable protocol but they had made some progress.

“We look forward to continuing to work with governments until they can agree to an effective tool to curb the illicit trade of tobacco products, a global curse that robs governments of uncollected tax revenues, promotes the consumption of tobacco products which in turn leads to premature death and disease,” he said.

The FCA participated in INB-4 (which took place in Geneva, Switzerland from 14-21 March 2010) and distributed a range of important resource materials that are listed below.